1. Field of Art
The present invention is related to retrieving directory records, and more particularly to multi-context iterative directory filter techniques including 1) concurrent operation in a directory filtering mode and a direct-dial mode, without requiring the user to specify which mode is intended; and 2) concurrent filtering based on two or more directory fields.
2. Description of the Background Art
Many handheld devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular telephones, laptop computers, and the like, provide electronic directories of contact information. Such directories are often capable of storing a large number of entries, or records, each corresponding to an individual or business. Many types of information may be stored in directory records, such as names, postal addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and other contact information. Using an interface for interacting with the directory, users can add, edit, and delete records as needed, to keep the directory up to date.
Users may retrieve records stored in electronic directories in a variety of ways. The particular mechanics for retrieving directory records depend upon many factors, including for example the nature and purpose of the device, the hardware configuration and design of the device (including display, keyboard, and the like), the user interface of the directory software, the nature of the user's contemplated interaction with the device, the context in which the interaction takes place, the user's preferences and level of expertise in operating the device, and the like. Some common techniques for retrieving a directory record include: scrolling through a displayed list; searching for one or more keywords entered by the user; pressing a key corresponding to an initial letter of the person's name; typing the first few letters of the person's name; and the like.
One technique for retrieving a directory record is iterative filtering. The user enters letters in succession, and the device displays directory records that match the letters entered. As the user enters each letter, the number of displayed records is iteratively filtered, so that fewer and fewer records tend to be displayed. When only one record is displayed, it may be automatically selected. At any time during the iterative filtering, the user can navigate (e.g. by scrolling) among displayed records to select the desired record.
For example, suppose a directory contains the following records (among others):                Rafferty, Janine        Raiklen, Bill        Rainey, Mark        Rea, Stacy        Sackman, Eric        
A user seeking to retrieve the directory record for Bill Raiklen would enter each letter in the person's last name in sequence. After entering the first letter, “R”, Eric Sackman's name would be filtered out (since it does not begin with “R”), leaving:                Rafferty, Janine        Raiklen, Bill        Rainey, Mark        Rea, Stacy        
After entering the next letter, “A”, Stacy Rea's name would be filtered out (since it does not begin with “RA”), leaving:                Rafferty, Janine        Raiklen, Bill        Rainey, Mark        
After entering the next letter, “I”, Janine Rafferty's name would be filtered out (since it does not begin with “RAI”), leaving:                Raiklen, Bill        Rainey, Mark        
Finally, after entering the next letter, K, Mark Rainey's name would be filtered out, so that only Bill Raiklen's name remains. At this point, the directory record for Bill Raiklen could automatically be retrieved or his name automatically selected. Thus, the user is able to specify one of the listed directory records with a minimum of keystrokes. The user need not enter the remaining letters in Bill Raiklen's name, since the system is now able to determine which directory entry the user is attempting to specify, even though only four keystrokes have been entered.
One limitation of the above-described conventional technique is that the user can only search on one field, in this case the last name. In general, in such iterative filtering operations as provided in the art, filtering is performed with respect to a predefined field (such as last name). Thus, if the user attempts to locate a record by entering keystrokes for a different field (such as first name, for example), the user may fail to retrieve the intended record. Conventional iterative filtering techniques do not generally provide a mechanism for concurrently filtering a directory according to the user's entries as compared with two or more directory fields.
In addition to retrieving records from an electronic directory, many users often dial numbers directly into the device. For example, if a user of a cellular telephone wishes to call someone who is not listed in the user's directory, the user may dial the person's number via a keypad on the telephone. Typically, such an operation is performed in a different mode than the directory lookup mode, so that there is no ambiguity as to which type of operation (directory lookup or direct-dial) the user wishes to perform. Usually, the user must explicitly select which mode is desired, by navigating through displayed menus or by executing commands in accordance with the user interface of the device.
In many handheld devices, multiple-value keys are provided, so as to save space and reduce the total number of keys. For example, some keys may correspond to a numeric value as well as an alphabetic value. Depending on the current mode of operation, pressing the key results in entry of either the numeric value or the alphabetic value. Thus, a dialing mode may be provided for direct entry of a telephone number to be dialed, and a directory retrieval mode may also be provided for retrieving directory records. Both operations may use the same keys; thus, a particular key may have a numeric value for use in the dialing mode and an alphabetic value for use in the directory retrieval mode.
It is often important that tasks such as dialing numbers or locating a particular contact record be as easy as possible to carry out. Many such handheld devices are used in environments where the user's ability to concentrate on the task of retrieving a directory record is limited, or where the user is attempting to perform such a task while concurrently performing other tasks. Accordingly, it is advantageous for electronic directories to be easily navigated and for records to be easily retrieved.
Requiring explicit selection of a mode can make the device cumbersome and difficult for users to operate. In many environments, users are not familiar with the mode selection requirement, or are operating the device while driving, or are otherwise unable to explicitly select a mode before performing an operation on the device.
What is needed, therefore, is a system, method, and user interface that allows a user to perform any of a plurality of operations, including directory retrieval and direct-dialing, on a device having multiple-value keys, without having to specify a mode before beginning the desired operation. What is further needed is a system, method, and user interface that performs iterative filtering of a directory concurrently with accepting keystrokes for a direct-dial operation. What is further needed is a system, method, and user interface that automatically determines which operation the user intends, so that the user is not required to specify a mode. What is further needed is a system, method, and user interface that allows a user to retrieve directory records according to any of a number of different fields (such as first name, last name, initials, and the like) without having to specify which field is being searched on. What is further needed is a technique for performing iterative filtering of a directory with respect to multiple fields concurrently, including stored fields, derived fields, and/or combination fields.